The Islamic Human Rights Commission urges all campaigners to contact their local Pakistani embassy or consulate and demand the release of former IHRC prisoner of faith Intissar Saatcioglu and her husband Levant Karagulle.

1. Background

Intissar Saatcioglu went to Pakistan to join her husband in carrying out relief work two months ago. Neither has been heard from since 24 January 2006. After the families' appeals, Pakistani Security Forces announced that they have no record of Intissar's or Levant's whereabouts. Moreover, Turkey's Islamabad Consulate has been unable to obtain any information about them. Reports from credible sources say that the couple have been detained by the Pakistani Security Services.

Previous cases of foreign nationals being detained by the Pakistani security services has resulted in their transfer to American prisons such as Guantanamo Bay and Diego Garcia, or in their complete disappearance. Most worrying however is that in this instance, the detainees are relief workers.

Intissar Saatcioglu is the daughter of Turkish human rights campaigner Huda Kaya. Intissar was released by Turkish authorities in October 2004 after having been imprisoned for one year for reciting a poem against the Turkish hijab ban in 1999. For more information about her case, please see Report of IHRC Observer into the legal proceedings against Huda Kaya and the Malatya 75 (July 1999) at http://www.ihrc.org.uk/file/IHRCObserverMalatya75.pdf

2. Action Requested

IHRC urges all campaigners to

a) Contact their local Pakistani embassy or consulate and request the immediate release of Intissar and Levant
b) Contact their local Turkish embassy and request that they put pressure on Pakistan for the release of Intissar and Levant

Sample letters and details of the Pakistani High Commission and Turkish embassy in London can be found below for your convenience.

I am writing to express my deep concern about the fate of 2 Turkish citizens, Intissar Saatcioglu and her husband Levant Karagulle, who have gone missing in Pakistan. The couple have not been heard from since 24 January 2006. Intissar went to Pakistan to help her husband carry out relief work in Lahore over two months ago. Human rights organizations are claiming that they have been detained by Pakistani security services.

Previous incidents of detention by Pakistan's security services have lead to the illegal transfer of detainees to American custody with the whereabouts of many of the detainees completely unknown. Ex-detainees have described in detail how they were tortured during their detention. As you are no doubt aware, such actions are in blatant contravention of international law.

My deepest concern however is that in this case the detainees are relief workers who traveled to Pakistan to help alleviate the suffering of the people of Pakistan. Their detention therefore is most abhorrent. At a time when Pakistan is in need of as much aid as possible due to the tragedy of the Kashmir earthquake, the detention of relief workers will only deter people from assisting.

I urge you to immediately release Intissar Saatcioglu and Levant Karagulle.

I am writing to express my deep concern about the fate of 2 Turkish citizens, Intissar Saatcioglu and her husband Levant Karagulle, who have gone missing in Pakistan. The couple have not been heard from since 24 January 2006. Intissar went to Pakistan to help her husband carry out relief work in Lahore over two months ago. Human rights organizations are claiming that they have been detained by Pakistani security services.

Previous incidents of detention by Pakistan's security services, including that of Turkish citizen, Murat Kurnaz, have lead to the illegal transfer of detainees to American custody with the whereabouts of many of the detainees completely unknown. Ex-detainees have described in detail how they were tortured during their detention. As you are no doubt aware, such actions are in blatant contravention of international law.

My deepest concern however is that in this case the detainees are relief workers who traveled to Pakistan to help alleviate the suffering of the people of Pakistan. Their detention therefore is most abhorrent. At a time when Pakistan is in need of as much aid as possible due to the tragedy of the Kashmir earthquake, the detention of relief workers will only deter people from assisting.

I urge you to pressure the Pakistani authorities to immediately release Intissar Saatcioglu and Levant Karagulle, people whose only crime was to help the poor and needy.

I look forward to hearing from you as a matter of urgency.

Yours Sincerely,

[Your Sign]
[Your Name]

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“And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, (of) those who say: Our Lord! Cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper.”

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